Boss Dies

The return trip did not take long.

Soon, the group arrived at the main force, dragging the Ginn with the blown-out cockpit behind them.

To call it a "main force" was generous; it looked more like a collection of broken remnants.

Even without seeing the people, one could gauge their state of mind just by looking at the dozens of smoking ships and the countless corpses and debris drifting through space.

It could be described as hearts turned to ash.

The sense of relaxation that had existed at the start was, naturally, gone.

The sight of these defeated, grieving soldiers made Xu De frown.

He didn't possess much in the way of benevolence.

War is war; people die.

Most of these people were from Blue Cosmos, after all.

But looking at the current state of the main force, it was unlikely that the First to Third Fleet would ever return to full strength, even if they fought until the war ended and a ceasefire was signed.

Of course, the Earth Alliance had massive production capacity.

As long as they were given time and the common people were made to suffer, the armories could work overtime to rearm them quickly.

But ZAFT would go on to strike Earth directly and seize control of the mass drivers.

Without the mass drivers, no matter how fast their production was, they couldn't transport supplies into space. While there were factories in space, their output was limited.

Afterward, to recover from their disadvantage, the Atlantic Federation's policies would surely become even more radical.

Every battle, no matter where it took place, would be death-defyingly dangerous.

Things like the Cyclops would be deployed again.

He needed to secure more autonomy for the future.

Listening to the death merchants only led to a quick death.

Just as Xu De was observing the others, they were observing him as well.

Once they left the debris field and returned to the open, they quickly caused a sensation.

The five of them, dragging a Ginn along together, successfully became the most eye-catching figures in the area.

This was far more attention-grabbing than any angler parading a massive catch around the city.

It wasn't that no one here had destroyed a Ginn before.

But most had done so using battleship main guns, or by using Moebius units to target the tricky, explosive weak points from behind.

Units that were mostly intact were rare, and one with only the cockpit destroyed was even rarer.

Not to mention that most of the team consisted of Mistrals.

"Whose people are those?"

The captain of a nearby Drake-class ship, despite his haggard expression, couldn't help but ask as he watched the parade outside his window.

"Confirmed, they are from the Third Fleet, the 15th Heavy Unit, and the Garrison Force," the radar operator said.

"...How many? Do we even have a 15th?"

Upon hearing this, the look of a stray dog on the captain's face vanished for a moment.

"The 15th and 16th Heavy Units; they seem to have been newly incorporated," the adjutant muttered from the side.

"New recruits...?"

"Are our new recruits monsters?"

New recruits piloting four Mistrals and one Moebius had captured such an intact Ginn.

Was that even possible?

How could that be anything but impossible?

"They didn't just scavenge it from the battlefield, did they?" the captain muttered.

"But looking at the marks on the cockpit, it should have been hit by a Linear Cannon."

The adjutant's words made the captain's mouth twitch uncontrollably.

The parade-like activity didn't last long, and the group finally returned to their own Drake-class warship.

Xu De had just parked his unit and climbed out when he saw Revil walking toward him.

The Lieutenant Colonel strode forward with long, purposeful steps to meet him.

Though his face was weary, Xu De looked on with excitement.

"Did you do this?"

Revil pointed at the Ginn standing behind the group.

A Ginn this intact was a first, at least within their Third Fleet.

Counting both sides, this was only the second time they had ever clashed.

Looking at the Ginn before him, Revil found it hard to believe his eyes, even amidst the sorrow of their current situation.

Although he knew this kid was impressive, he hadn't expected him to be this impressive.

He had actually managed to bring someone else's Ginn back.

At this moment, the others surrounding them looked at Xu De and his team with similarly intense, fervent gazes.

They had fought this battle with extreme frustration.

Despite having many methods at their disposal, they were checked and balanced at every turn.

Things like nuclear missiles were rendered completely useless.

Xu De's achievement served as a great inspiration to them, and he had quietly become a hero.

"I had their help as well."

Hearing this, Xu De stepped aside, revealing Hans and the others standing behind him.

"Mistral, is it?"

"You all really managed to run into each other by pure coincidence."

Revil sighed with emotion.

"Yes."

Xu De breathed a sigh of relief in his heart.

Although this kind of thing shouldn't arouse suspicion, he was still nervous.

After all, being discovered would mean huge trouble.

It was precisely because he couldn't have known about the collapse of the World Tree in advance that this lie was seamless.

"Still, it's fortunate that you returned."

As Revil spoke, a look of dejection appeared on his face.

The spirit that had been lifted by the Ginn withered once more.

The middle-aged man walked slowly to the side of the Ginn and kicked its metal thigh.

The collision between his leather boot and the metal was not particularly conspicuous in the noisy and sorrowful hangar.

However, it was still seen by the logistics personnel looking over.

Of course, no one was surprised; they all felt the same way.

If not for Revil's presence, they probably would have all come up to kick it to vent their anger.

"Fucking Coordinators."

Revil's features were twisted, a sharp contrast to his usual gentle demeanor.

"Sir, were the losses heavy?"

Xu De asked heavily.

"Very heavy... Preliminary estimates show that over 66% of the fleet's combat power has been lost."

"Damn it, I had five squadrons, and three are gone. The remaining two have also lost more than half their personnel."

From Revil's words, Xu De could almost feel the terror on the main battlefield.

It was different from staying in the rear.

The Third Fleet and Revil's troops were the tip of the spear.

Such heavy casualties were enough to illustrate the danger of the battle that had just taken place.

And battles of this magnitude would continue in the future.

Taking the Moon as a recent example, it was yet another source of trouble.

He still needed to continue training hard and accumulating strength.

Otherwise, he might have dodged it this time, but what about the next?

Thinking of how the Third Fleet would eventually be wiped out by Le Creuset on the Moon, Xu De's mood grew heavy as well.

They could not remain in the Third Fleet.

"How is it over at your garrison?"

After venting, Revil's face returned to a semblance of calm.

"Most of them are..."

Xu De shook his head.

Revil let out another sigh at the sight.

"There is nothing to be done about it... So, what are your plans for what comes next?"

"If you are interested in joining my side, I can submit an application to the higher-ups, though it might take some time, seeing as both our headquarters and the upper command are gone."

Revil offered a self-deprecating smile.